LECOM NEWS

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine students, faculty and staff joined together to commemorate World AIDS Day in the school’s atrium on Dec. 2 by participating in a human red ribbon to help raise awareness about AIDS and reflect their support in the effort to eradicate it. The event is organized by Richard Ortoski, DO, Chairman of the Department of Primary Care Education.

LECOM students, faculty and staff gathered in the school's atrium on Dec. 2 to form a human red ribbon to commemorate World AIDS Day.

The LECOM Chorus, under the direction of Primary Care Scholars second-year medical student David Keith, performed two songs while members of the LECOM community gathered to create the red ribbon. On the second floor of the LECOM building, several quilts were put on display. These AIDS Memorial quilts were created by Helen McKenzie, Assistant to the President, and are made up of different symbols representing HIV, hope and the future.

World AIDS Day, celebrated officially on Dec. 1, was first declared by the United Nations General Assembly and the World Health Organization in 1988. Since the declaration, this event has become one of the most successful campaigns to raise global awareness on the issue of AIDS.